Chapter XI - The Hearing
The Ministry warlocks had been some sadistic bastards who made her wait for the Minister for almost 5 hours. And now Ellie was hearing Cornelius Fudge she hoped she was still waiting because at least then she had Remus by her side. And by the look of it, this wasn't a hearing at all, it was a talking!
Fudge was talking non-stop for 2 hours, pointing out her life at Hogwarts and her achievements while she was still at the Confederation of Potion Makers. That she had lost so much already, like being expelled (something he must have repeated at least 10 times during the conversation) and it was a shame she was trying to brew illegal potions. At long last, he seemed to open the line for dialog.
"Miss Wood, surely you understand the seriousness of the matter."
"With all due respect, Minister, actually I don't really see what could be so wrong about trying to make werewolves less monsters."
Fudge seemed affronted by her attitude.
"Miss Wood, I will not deny that we already had our suspicions on what that illegal potion was, but I am astounded that you insist on doing it! Your fellows from the Confederation, or your former fellows, may I add, are asking me for your skin, and I'm trying to save you from a holiday season at Azkaban, but apparently I'm not getting through you!"
"Minister, I have destroyed the potion." she said before he could carry on with his fury.
"Destroyed?" he seemed astounded "Ha- have you really?"
"I never hided that I wanted to make this, but Dumbledore sent me a message saying you might have in mind sending me to Azkaban... and I realized I had lost. I cannot go against the Ministry, can I? So I destroyed the potion and there's nothing left of it."
Fudge was thinking hard. Finally he said "Well, in that case, if you can assure me you have destroyed it, you can go. I'll send two Confederation wizards to check on it... and if it's true, no harm done."
***
"He said that?" said Remus when Ellie told him the whole story.
"Yes, and since Severus assured me that they will look inside the cauldron and think it's some kind of soup, I don't think we should worry about it again."
They apparated at her house and right in time to hear the door knock. It was morning already, but they hadn't had any sleep at all. Ellie was not pleased.
"What's wrong with this place? I must have an anti-knocking spell on this, or we won't be able to get any sleep!"
She opened the door to a blonde witch carrying a crocodile handbag and a very twisted smile.
"Rita Skeeter, from the Daily Prophet" she said, entering the house. She took no time in finding a place to sit and retrieving some parchment and a quill from her handbag, which she placed over the table.
"Testing... " she said "My name is Rita Skeeter."
The quill immediately wrote something on the parchment and she seemed satisfied for she looked at Ellie again.
Ellie was so surprised she realised she was still holding the door open. Remus looked as surprised as she was.
"Miss Wood, I was wondering if you'd care to tell me your reactions on today's newspaper."
"What newspaper?"
"Today's Daily Prophet! Don't you have it?"
"Oh. No." and Rita gave her a copy. She seemed to have guessed that they hadn't had time for it because she gave Remus another one as well.
Ellie drooped her jaw.
"Ellie Wood, former member of the Confederation for Potion Makers, was seen today at the Ministry of Magic by the Minister himself for conducting experiments on an illegal potion that will make werewolves harmless, writes special correspondent Rita Skeeter. Accordingly to some members of the Confederation, she had been trying to do it for quite sometime and that was the reason behind her expulsion, although at the time the whole matter was hushed behind some other pathetic excuse like "not paying her dues". Miss Wood had already been banished from the Potion Making Convention of 1984, held in London, where she exposed her ridiculous ideas about werewolves being men imprisoned inside wolves every month. She had even made a joke about how every woman would seem more dangerous every moon than werewolves, if they could have help. Being one of the few women on the stand, this was not taken lightly, although Mrs. Rowena Goshind broke in laughter, saying she felt like a werewolf herself once a month. Being expelled now is not an option, since Miss Wood has already been kicked out of everything she could, and the Ministry may try to consider having her in Azkaban for at least a week."
"How could you write this?!" Ellie said right after she regained her voice again.
"Well, the public has the right to know. But why don't you tell me your side of the story? How do you feel about werewolves? You don't need to tell me how you feel about all of them." and she smiled at Remus.
Ellie seemed annoyed.
"I don't think I'll be telling you anything." she said acidly.
She noticed that the quill was writing madly.
"Are you sure you don't want to tell me your side of the story?"
But before Ellie could answer there was yet another knock on the door. This time it was the Confederation wizards who had come to check on the potion. One of them was a young man she had never met (probably a new member) and the other was Snape!
"Miss Wood" he said "we have come to check on an illegal potion that was reported to be made here."
Ellie understood it would be best if she pretended they hadn't spoken for years. He certainly seemed to be playing that game, and by the look of the young wizard, it should be what people believed.
Rita Skeeter, however, was delighted to see Snape.
"Prof. Severus Snape! I don't think there would be anyone better for this job!" and she was smiling broadly. Snape didn't answer.
"Can we have a look at the cauldrons?" he asked.
"Certainly." said Ellie, leading them to the lab. "As I have already told the Minister, I have disposed it and there is nothing left." then looking at Rita Skeeter following them she looked at Remus and said "Remus, would you entertain Miss Skeeter while I'm busy? Maybe you could show her the door?"
Rita Skeeter looked inside the lab and smiled "Interesting as your door might be, I can tell when I'm not wanted." she packed the parchment and quill inside her bag again "Maybe we could do this another time? It was a pleasure to see you all." And she left.
Severus kept his part extremely well. For almost 20 minutes he checked everything along with the other wizard and they were passing by the Wolfsbane cauldron when-
"Hey!" said the young wizard "What's this?"
Ellie turned to see him looking at the cauldron where there was some flea- repellent potion left. She tried not to look so relieved.
"It's a flea-repellent potion. I've only perfected it."
"I thought so!" he said with a smile. He checked that Snape was out of sight, looking at other cauldrons, and said in a hush voice "Say, can you sell me some? My rat has a terrible problem with fleas and I've tried to curse them and everything, but they keep coming back. It's a nightmare."
"Sure, I'll give you some. Let me find a bottle." she took a bottle from a shelve, taking a beetle from the glass near it, and asked him "But, why haven't you tried the Repelus potion?"
The young wizard flushed and said very quickly "I'm not very fond of spiders. I can make any potion you want, as long as it doesn't have spiders. But don't tell anyone. You won't will you?"
"Of course not." She drooped a bit of the potion in the bottle and handed it to him, who quickly took it in his robes before Snape could see.
"Miss Wood, we haven't found anything that resembled an illegal potion." said Snape at last. "I'm sure you have disposed of it. However..." he took his wand "we must check for hidden potions now. Aparate!" and he pointed the wand at the lab. Ellie's heart trembled for a moment. Then a small tube shown on the table. Everyone gathered around. Snape grabbed it and read "Spider webs".
"Oh," said Ellie, looking more relieved than she could hide. "Thanks! I was looking for that!"
The Ministry warlocks had been some sadistic bastards who made her wait for the Minister for almost 5 hours. And now Ellie was hearing Cornelius Fudge she hoped she was still waiting because at least then she had Remus by her side. And by the look of it, this wasn't a hearing at all, it was a talking!
Fudge was talking non-stop for 2 hours, pointing out her life at Hogwarts and her achievements while she was still at the Confederation of Potion Makers. That she had lost so much already, like being expelled (something he must have repeated at least 10 times during the conversation) and it was a shame she was trying to brew illegal potions. At long last, he seemed to open the line for dialog.
"Miss Wood, surely you understand the seriousness of the matter."
"With all due respect, Minister, actually I don't really see what could be so wrong about trying to make werewolves less monsters."
Fudge seemed affronted by her attitude.
"Miss Wood, I will not deny that we already had our suspicions on what that illegal potion was, but I am astounded that you insist on doing it! Your fellows from the Confederation, or your former fellows, may I add, are asking me for your skin, and I'm trying to save you from a holiday season at Azkaban, but apparently I'm not getting through you!"
"Minister, I have destroyed the potion." she said before he could carry on with his fury.
"Destroyed?" he seemed astounded "Ha- have you really?"
"I never hided that I wanted to make this, but Dumbledore sent me a message saying you might have in mind sending me to Azkaban... and I realized I had lost. I cannot go against the Ministry, can I? So I destroyed the potion and there's nothing left of it."
Fudge was thinking hard. Finally he said "Well, in that case, if you can assure me you have destroyed it, you can go. I'll send two Confederation wizards to check on it... and if it's true, no harm done."
***
"He said that?" said Remus when Ellie told him the whole story.
"Yes, and since Severus assured me that they will look inside the cauldron and think it's some kind of soup, I don't think we should worry about it again."
They apparated at her house and right in time to hear the door knock. It was morning already, but they hadn't had any sleep at all. Ellie was not pleased.
"What's wrong with this place? I must have an anti-knocking spell on this, or we won't be able to get any sleep!"
She opened the door to a blonde witch carrying a crocodile handbag and a very twisted smile.
"Rita Skeeter, from the Daily Prophet" she said, entering the house. She took no time in finding a place to sit and retrieving some parchment and a quill from her handbag, which she placed over the table.
"Testing... " she said "My name is Rita Skeeter."
The quill immediately wrote something on the parchment and she seemed satisfied for she looked at Ellie again.
Ellie was so surprised she realised she was still holding the door open. Remus looked as surprised as she was.
"Miss Wood, I was wondering if you'd care to tell me your reactions on today's newspaper."
"What newspaper?"
"Today's Daily Prophet! Don't you have it?"
"Oh. No." and Rita gave her a copy. She seemed to have guessed that they hadn't had time for it because she gave Remus another one as well.
Ellie drooped her jaw.
"Ellie Wood, former member of the Confederation for Potion Makers, was seen today at the Ministry of Magic by the Minister himself for conducting experiments on an illegal potion that will make werewolves harmless, writes special correspondent Rita Skeeter. Accordingly to some members of the Confederation, she had been trying to do it for quite sometime and that was the reason behind her expulsion, although at the time the whole matter was hushed behind some other pathetic excuse like "not paying her dues". Miss Wood had already been banished from the Potion Making Convention of 1984, held in London, where she exposed her ridiculous ideas about werewolves being men imprisoned inside wolves every month. She had even made a joke about how every woman would seem more dangerous every moon than werewolves, if they could have help. Being one of the few women on the stand, this was not taken lightly, although Mrs. Rowena Goshind broke in laughter, saying she felt like a werewolf herself once a month. Being expelled now is not an option, since Miss Wood has already been kicked out of everything she could, and the Ministry may try to consider having her in Azkaban for at least a week."
"How could you write this?!" Ellie said right after she regained her voice again.
"Well, the public has the right to know. But why don't you tell me your side of the story? How do you feel about werewolves? You don't need to tell me how you feel about all of them." and she smiled at Remus.
Ellie seemed annoyed.
"I don't think I'll be telling you anything." she said acidly.
She noticed that the quill was writing madly.
"Are you sure you don't want to tell me your side of the story?"
But before Ellie could answer there was yet another knock on the door. This time it was the Confederation wizards who had come to check on the potion. One of them was a young man she had never met (probably a new member) and the other was Snape!
"Miss Wood" he said "we have come to check on an illegal potion that was reported to be made here."
Ellie understood it would be best if she pretended they hadn't spoken for years. He certainly seemed to be playing that game, and by the look of the young wizard, it should be what people believed.
Rita Skeeter, however, was delighted to see Snape.
"Prof. Severus Snape! I don't think there would be anyone better for this job!" and she was smiling broadly. Snape didn't answer.
"Can we have a look at the cauldrons?" he asked.
"Certainly." said Ellie, leading them to the lab. "As I have already told the Minister, I have disposed it and there is nothing left." then looking at Rita Skeeter following them she looked at Remus and said "Remus, would you entertain Miss Skeeter while I'm busy? Maybe you could show her the door?"
Rita Skeeter looked inside the lab and smiled "Interesting as your door might be, I can tell when I'm not wanted." she packed the parchment and quill inside her bag again "Maybe we could do this another time? It was a pleasure to see you all." And she left.
Severus kept his part extremely well. For almost 20 minutes he checked everything along with the other wizard and they were passing by the Wolfsbane cauldron when-
"Hey!" said the young wizard "What's this?"
Ellie turned to see him looking at the cauldron where there was some flea- repellent potion left. She tried not to look so relieved.
"It's a flea-repellent potion. I've only perfected it."
"I thought so!" he said with a smile. He checked that Snape was out of sight, looking at other cauldrons, and said in a hush voice "Say, can you sell me some? My rat has a terrible problem with fleas and I've tried to curse them and everything, but they keep coming back. It's a nightmare."
"Sure, I'll give you some. Let me find a bottle." she took a bottle from a shelve, taking a beetle from the glass near it, and asked him "But, why haven't you tried the Repelus potion?"
The young wizard flushed and said very quickly "I'm not very fond of spiders. I can make any potion you want, as long as it doesn't have spiders. But don't tell anyone. You won't will you?"
"Of course not." She drooped a bit of the potion in the bottle and handed it to him, who quickly took it in his robes before Snape could see.
"Miss Wood, we haven't found anything that resembled an illegal potion." said Snape at last. "I'm sure you have disposed of it. However..." he took his wand "we must check for hidden potions now. Aparate!" and he pointed the wand at the lab. Ellie's heart trembled for a moment. Then a small tube shown on the table. Everyone gathered around. Snape grabbed it and read "Spider webs".
"Oh," said Ellie, looking more relieved than she could hide. "Thanks! I was looking for that!"